NextUp Leadership Summit 2025
NextUp Leadership Summit is our largest event of the year – a celebration of everything NextUp, our community, and our mission! With over 1,600 attendees annually, world-class speakers, powerful programming, meaningful opportunities to connect, and frank discussions about what we can all do to meet our own career goals, there’s nothing like Summit.
Join us this year in beautiful Kissimmee, FL, where you’ll soak up the sun at our first-ever Summit held in a resort! Relax, learn, and recharge with us for three days in the company of our incredible community of members and partners.
FUTURE + FOCUS
This is your moment – boldly step into your future. Whether you want to make your mark as a standout individual contributor or a courageous leader, now is the time to get laser focused on the future you want to create.
Join us at the 2025 NextUp Leadership Summit to uncover actionable strategies to excel in the modern workplace, unlock the strength of our network, and uncover your power. It’s time to make your future happen!
- Need help making the case to attend NextUp Leadership Summit? Check out our ‘Ask Your Boss‘ memo for a ready-to-go message you can use to make the ask!
In-Person
Open
Location
Gaylord Palms Resort6000 West Osceola Pkwy.
Kissimmee, FL 34746
Dates
Wednesday, October 08, 2025 - Friday, October 10, 2025
Registration fees
Group (25+) - Members Only: $2,095
Members - Early: $2,350
Non-Members - Early: $2,650
April 30 - July 31
Members - Regular: $2,550
Non-Members - Regular: $2,850
Aug. 1 - Sep. 17
Members - Late: $2,750
Non-Members Late: $3,050
Sep. 18 - Sep. 24
Members - Early: $2,350
Non-Members - Early: $2,650
April 30 - July 31
Members - Regular: $2,550
Non-Members - Regular: $2,850
Aug. 1 - Sep. 17
Members - Late: $2,750
Non-Members Late: $3,050
Sep. 18 - Sep. 24
Featured Speakers
Dagmar Boggs
President Foodservice and On-Premise, North America
The Coca-Cola Company
Dagmar Boggs
President Foodservice and On-Premise, North America
The Coca-Cola Company
Dagmar Boggs is President of Foodservice and On-Premise for the North America Operating Unit. In this role, she leads the organization’s Sales, Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Commercial teams.
Throughout her 27-year Coca-Cola career, Boggs has held leadership positions across key business functions in North America. As Chief Customer Officer, she led value-based partnerships with National Retail, Foodservice and On-Premise customers. As President of South Operations, she had Profit and Loss responsibility for a $4.2 billion business encompassing all beverage categories delivered via all routes to markets in an expanded Southeast region. As Chief Retail Sales & Bottler Operations Officer, she led growth strategy for 67 independent U.S. bottlers, as well as national and global retail customers. Prior roles included President of the Global 7-Eleven Account Team, Vice President of the Global Burger King Account Team, and Vice President of Global Customer Strategic Capabilities.
Boggs serves on the Boards of the National Restaurant Association and NextUp. She is a member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) and The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Women’s Leadership Council. Dagmar earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from Rollins College and an Executive MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
FUTURE + POSSIBILITIES
See Agenda Wednesday, October 08
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm
Phil de Picciotto
Founder and President
Octagon
Phil de Picciotto
Founder and President
Octagon
Phil de Picciotto, Founder and President of Octagon, has been at the forefront of the sports and entertainment industry for more than 40 years. He oversees the global operations of Octagon’s worldwide talent representation, property representation and ownership, and wealth management businesses, and oversees Octagon’s client portfolio of more than 1,000 of the highest profile and most accomplished personalities in the world.
de Picciotto has been instrumental in Octagon’s growth from start-up to worldwide leader in sports and entertainment marketing, management, media and advisory services for brands, governments, properties, teams, leagues and personalities. He has also been a leader in the globalization of sports, the removal of tobacco sponsorship from professional tennis, and the creation with Amazon of the ground-breaking Thursday Night Football streaming package featuring the first-ever female announcing team.
de Picciotto graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a B.A in Anthropology. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and serves as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of the Economic Club of Washington, DC, as well as the Advisory Boards of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the Concussion Legacy Foundation and racquet sports startup Swing.
FOCUS + NEGOTIATION
See Agenda Wednesday, October 08
3:10 pm - 3:45 pm
3:10 pm - 3:45 pm
Candace Nelson
Founder, Sprinkles Cupcakes, serial entrepreneur, Guest Shark on Shark Tank
Candace Nelson
Founder, Sprinkles Cupcakes, serial entrepreneur, Guest Shark on Shark Tank
Candace Nelson is a serial entrepreneur, the Founder of Sprinkles and Pizzana, Guest Shark on Shark Tank and a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. An expert in turning a passion into a profitable business, Candace revolutionized the baking industry when she left a career in finance to start Sprinkles, the world’s first cupcake bakery and Cupcake ATM. Sprinkles has since grown into one of the most successful cupcake brands ever.
Nelson followed with the launch of Pizzana, a growing chain of Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded pizzerias leading the third wave of pizza in the US. She continues to expand her portfolio: co-founding the children’s sensory learning centers Play 2 Progress and launching CN2 Ventures with her husband, Charles Nelson, to invest in early-stage consumer companies.
Candace is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn your Passion into Profit and The New York Times bestselling The Sprinkles Baking Book. A highly sought-after speaker, Candace shares her story of turning passion into profit, the keys to leading and building a breakthrough brand, finding purpose to create a great company culture and cultivating a community of brand loyalists with audiences around the world.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.
FUTURE + FOCUS
See Agenda Thursday, October 09
9:05 am - 9:40 am
9:05 am - 9:40 am
Kelly Cook
CEO
David's Bridal
Kelly Cook
CEO
David's Bridal
Kelly Cook is a visionary executive with over two decades of leadership in omnichannel strategy, digital transformation, IT, branding, and marketing. A catalyst for growth, she has a proven track record of driving business growth through brand evolution, pioneering innovation and aligning teams behind transformative strategies that drive bottom-line impact. Her leadership has propelled organizations to new heights – boosting profitability, increasing stock value, and earning industry accolades from Newsweek (Best Place to Work for Women) and Forbes (Most Inclusive Marketing).
Her career spans a diverse mix of industries ranging from airlines and fashion to home decor and retail, and now the bridal fashion and wedding industry. Prior to joining David’s Bridal, Kelly held executive leadership roles at top companies, including Continental Airlines, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, and Pier 1, where she spearheaded large-scale brand, marketing and digital initiatives that redefined customer engagement. In her current role at David’s, Kelly leads marketing, IT, digital, customer experiences, analytics and e-commerce, ensuring that innovation and customer-centricity remain at the heart of the brand’s growth.
Recognized by Harvard Business School as one of 2003’s Most Dynamic Women in Business, Kelly embodies a leadership style grounded in service to others. She finds joy in seeing individuals at any and every level do extraordinary things. She is a steward of the power of determination, often toting her mantra: “If cauliflower can become pizza, anything can happen.”
Kelly holds an MBA and a Master of Finance from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business. Beyond the boardroom, she is a devoted wife of 30 years to her husband Damon, the proud mom of five kids (including triplets), and two pampered, plump basset hounds, Jasper and Rufus. Based in Houston, Texas, she continues to inspire her “Dream Makers,” disrupt industries, and shape the future of brand innovation.
SOMETHING OLD + SOMETHING NEW
See Agenda Wednesday, October 08
5:00 pm - 5:25 pm
5:00 pm - 5:25 pm
Shabnam Mogharabi
Entrepreneur, Author, Co-Founder of SoulPancake
Shabnam Mogharabi
Entrepreneur, Author, Co-Founder of SoulPancake
Shabnam Mogharabi is an entertainment entrepreneur and producer with 20 years of experience leading mission-driven media companies.
Shabnam co-founded the uplifting content studio SoulPancake with actor Rainn Wilson, which she ran as CEO for nearly a decade, amassing 1B+ online video views and dozens of Emmy and Webby Awards on their content slate, before a successful exit to Participant Media. During her tenure, she was named The Hustle’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and SoulPancake was named to Inc5000’s Fastest Growing Businesses and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Media.
Currently, Shabnam is the founder and CEO of The Joy Brigade, a consulting and advisory firm that helps early- and mid-stage media, entertainment, and tech companies with strategy, business planning, culture, content creation, and storytelling. Her clients have ranged from an independent children’s media start-up to a Series B documentary studio to large national news platforms.
Shabnam sits on the advisory boards of for-profit startups Seed & Spark and Sunset Vibes Swimwear, as well as on the board of directors of the Wayfarer Foundation and national non-profits Tahirih Justice Center and Girl Rising. She is a lifelong student of positive psychology and a highly sought-after public speaker on the subjects of joy and purpose.
Shabnam is a Henry Crown Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She began her career in journalism, where she ran large editorial newsrooms. She has always been drawn to companies whose mission and culture align with her personal values and desire to tell stories that create hope in a depleted world. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two littles, and a nutty mutt named Ziggy.
WORK + FRIENDS
See Agenda Friday, October 10
9:25 am - 10:10 am
9:25 am - 10:10 am
Dr. Lisajoy G. Marinello
Senior Director, Cloud Strategy & Customer Success
Microsoft Corporation
Dr. Lisajoy G. Marinello
Senior Director, Cloud Strategy & Customer Success
Microsoft Corporation
Lisajoy Marinello is the Senior Director of Cloud Strategy & Customer Success at Microsoft. With over 24 years of experience, Lisajoy brings a business-first mindset and a strong focus on empowering others to lead with authenticity and purpose. A passionate advocate for women in leadership, she is known for her servant leadership style, her ability to drive strategic outcomes, and her dedication to mentoring female leaders. Outside of work, Lisajoy is a proud mother of four, loves the Jersey shore, and would very much like to be best friends with Joanna Gaines.
Jon Davis
Senior Vice President, Retail Sales
Perdue Farms
Jon Davis
Senior Vice President, Retail Sales
Perdue Farms
Jon Davis joined Perdue Farms in July 2024 as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Digital Sales. In this role, Jon is responsible for leading the digital and sales organization, managing 8 Vice Presidents and the business relationships across key retailers throughout the country. Jon reports directly to the Chief Commercial Officer and serves on the Commercial Leadership Team.
Prior to Perdue, Jon was with The Hershey Company for 23 years. He was most recently the Vice President and General Manager of the Global Walmart and Club Team. In this position, he was responsible for driving the customer relationships with Hershey’s largest global retailers and the P&L’s associated with Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, and BJ’s.
Jon was previously the Vice President and General Manager of the Global Walmart and Sam’s Club Team. He has also led the Walmart U.S. Team, Walgreens Team, and the West Convenience Store Team. He has held a variety of other progressive sales leadership roles across multiple channels throughout his career. Jon started as a Retail Sales Representative in the Milwaukee District in March of 2001.
Jon has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a Biomedical Science Concentration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he played football for 4 years. He enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, the Peloton community, and volunteering through the American Heart Association and Boys and Girls Club.
FUTURE + DISRUPTION
See Agenda Wednesday, October 08
4:15 pm - 5:00 pm
4:15 pm - 5:00 pm
Jeni Golomb
Founder and CEO
GLASSBRKR
Jeni Golomb
Founder and CEO
GLASSBRKR
Jeni Golomb is a catalyst for what comes next—and she’s built her career on knowing how to spot what matters, fix what’s broken, and drive real growth. A two-time CMO (Daisy Brand and Sodexo) and Harvard MBA with more than 20 years of experience, Jeni has led and revitalized iconic brands like Huggies, Altoids, and Slim Jim. Along the way, she’s earned awards like a Gold Effie, an ICX Award, and the CMO Club “Rising Star”—but what fuels her most is helping businesses (and people!) unlock their next level of success.
As the founder of GLASSBRKR, Jeni serves as a strategic partner and executive advisor to organizations ready to strengthen leadership, accelerate growth, and break through what’s holding them back. She is especially passionate about helping women break into the C-suite and thrive once they get there— without losing their sense of well-being. Through advising, consulting, and workshops, she helps leaders and teams gain the clarity, confidence, and momentum needed to drive lasting impact.
Jeni is on the cusp of empty-nesthood, living in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and younger son, while her older son is off at college in Philadelphia. She finds her balance (literally) with daily hot yoga and is always ready for her next passport stamp.
#5: FUTURE + CAREER
See Agenda Thursday, October 09
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3
Days of Learning
30+
Sessions
40+
Speakers
1400+
Attendees
Presenting Sponsor
Sponsors
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